


Upendi

by Narnvaeron



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26716618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narnvaeron/pseuds/Narnvaeron
Summary: Kíli’s actions may be reckless but you have never regretted following him once.
Relationships: Kíli (Tolkien)/Reader, Kíli (Tolkien)/You
Kudos: 23





	Upendi

The path which led to the lake was narrow, covered in soft needles fallen from the nearby trees and an occasional cone there and there. Stepping on the latter was rather painful, especially considering the fact that your feet were bare and in the dim light of the moon you could not see all of them clearly. There were few quiet ouches leaving past your lips before you finally reached your destination, the place you wanted to see since you left your home with Thorin’s Company—the lake.

As you approached it, now walking down the mossy ground, you could not stop staring at the reflections dancing on the waters’ surface, the moon swaying to the sides as if it was dancing rhythmically to the melody only it could hear. High bulrushes were growing at the southern shore, perfectly hiding the shallow waters from the eyes of any curious passersby, if there would only be any. The forest in which The Company decided to rest for tonight was peaceful and welcoming, much different than the magical lands you wandered through, full of dangerous and wild creatures you have never seen before.

Placing your shoes at the sandy coast, you took off the tunic and looked around to make sure that nobody was following you for the last time. You would never suspect any of the loyal and honourable Dwarves of such a thing, however… you had your doubts about Thorin’s nieces. Very reasonable ones. You did not want to have your clothes stolen for the sake of some kind of joke, that is why you decided it would be better to be safe than sorry and hid the tunic in the nearby bushes. If something happened, you would at least have one piece of fabric to cover yourself up.

Turning around, you took few steps forward to check whether the water was cold or not with your toes. Considering the fact that the latest days were unbearably hot, it should be warm and you craved a bath too much to withdraw now. It was your evening, you deserved it after killing few vicious orcs which were chasing The Company. There was still dirt and black blood in your hair and under the nails, you probably smelled of sweat and the grass stains on your clothes certainly did not add anything positive to your overall miserable look. Cold or not, you needed a solid bath.

“It may not be as hot as you, but I can assure you that it’s quite nice.”

You turned your head to the right so suddenly that you almost felt the cramp in the muscles. To your surprise, there was a pair of dark eyes staring at you from above the enormous rock and the familiar smile spreading on the lips of the person you recognized immediately.

Kíli observed you with the amused expression, his elbows resting on the rock as the lower half of his body must have still been in the water. For a moment he reminded you of a mermaids you heard the stories about and the image of him weaving his chubby fish-like tail almost made you lighten up. Almost, for the initial thought which could explain his presence here was nowhere near funny for you, and so, you asked:

“Where is Fíli?”

Kíli pouted.

“Am I not enough company for you?”

“I don’t want any company, I want to take a bath!”

“Well then, that makes two of us.” Even in the dim light you could see him wiggling his eyebrows at you.

“Oh, please…”

Resting your hands on the hips, you looked at him. You would have to be blind to not notice the way he was talking to you, flirting with you, charming you every day in almost every moment. For some reason, the young prince grew fond of you and the thought itself was quite flattering, you had to admit, but it did not change the fact that you were not sure whether his uncle would approve your relationship. Kíli’s feelings were returned, very much so, but no matter how much you adored him, you were still just a human.

The possibility of never truly being with him broke your heart.

“Come on,” he encouraged, his voice suddenly losing the frivolous tone and becoming purely sympathetic instead. “The water is warm, I promise.”

You smiled, seeing the way the moonlight reflected in his eyes. You knew that he observed you, when you took off the rest of your clothes and placed them on the sand, you could feel his gaze ghosting over your body, remembering it and caressing with the delicacy of his loving heart. Eventually, you went in the water, first to the ankles’ level, then calves, thighs, hips and waist. Bending your knees, you sunk into the lake deep enough so only your head was above the surface.

Indeed, the water was warm.

“Now, you ruined the whole show,” Kíli sighed theatrically and shook his head slightly.

“How so?” You approached him so close, that you could rest your arms on the opposite side of the rock and look at him in the eyes. “I thought I was not your type.”

Kíli blinked few times, apparently confused.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve heard exactly what you said during the dinner in Rivendell,” you teased, content that for once you were the reason for the adorable, puzzled expression on his face and not the other way around. “How did it go? I’m not fond of those maids because of their thin figure, creamy skin and what else?”

“I did not mean that!”

“Of course you didn’t.”

“Besides,” he frowned, solemn. “You are far more magnificent than even the greatest of Elf maids.”

The way he said those words proved you that he really believed in them. There was no false, no bad intentions, just the overwhelming adoration and sincere truth.

Slowly, Kíli reached to you above the rock which was now irritatingly separating you two, and stroked your cheek. He smiled when you leaned to his hand, responsive for his touch and loving the way his fingers felt against your skin.

“You are perfect to me,” he confessed quietly. “And I love, love your high cheekbones.”

Kissing the inner side of his palm was another way to hide the amusement which painted on your face, the undeniable proof of the effect his words had upon you. It surprised you when he suddenly moved back, taking his hand away from you and diving in the lake, the cheeky expression not fading until his head went completely underwater.

Turning around, you tried to look for him, perfectly aware of whatever kind of shenanigans he was up to, but spotting his dark hair in the equally black water was impossible. You did not move, firmly standing your ground near the rock and ready to either hold it for your life or even immediately jump out of the lake on it if needed. You knew how much he and the other members of The Company enjoyed playing in water, splashing around with a lot of roaring laughs, competitions and challenges, that is why you were expecting the worst already—to get splashed or pulled underwater or tickled with some kind of seaweeds or any other unpleasant, slimy thing. What you did not expect, however, was that Kíli would eventually emerge from the water right in front of you, so close that your chests were almost touching, and do it carefully and slowly, keeping an eye contact with you until he stood straight on the sandy ground below your feet.

Droplets of water were running down his hair, long strands now clinging to his cheeks, forehead, shoulders and back. Some of the beads fell down, back to the lake, trailing the various wet lines on his body, while the others rested in the curly hair on his strong arms and chest, slightly reflecting the pale moonlight just like his eyes were. It was not the first time when you saw him half-naked but definitely the first time when you were so close to each other in such a state.

“Admiring the view, my dear?” he teased, apparently noticing the look in your eyes.

You could only hope that he did not somehow notice how dry did your mouth became all of a sudden.

Before you could think of any proper answer or wit comeback, he gently took your hand and pulled you after him, saying:

“Come with me, there’s something I want to show you.”

You agreed, partly grateful that he did not decide to continue this discussion you had no chance of winning, not after showing such an obvious interest in him. Still, you were curious about his idea, you could not deny that those were often quite dangerous but no less fascinating and always led to something worth remembering. It was impossible to refuse, especially when you remembered what he told you few days ago, when you followed him to one of the apparently abandoned caves to look for the hidden treasures, most likely forgotten by their rightful owners. The place stank of fear and the quick possibility of getting eaten alive by some vicious creatures but before Kíli went down the cave, he looked at you in the eyes and swore:

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t let anything bad to happen to you.”

He kept that promise, as he always did.

This time, you followed him to the eastern shore, walking through the shallow waters and carefully taking every step just in case there would be sharp rocks on the bottom. Either there were none or you managed to dodge all of them, eventually you found yourself standing in front of the enormous pile of rocks, half drowned in the lake, and that was the place where Kíli stopped and turned back to you, still not letting go of your hand.

“Do you trust me?” he asked firmly.

“What kind of question is that?” You frowned at how serious his voice was. “Of course I do, but–“

“No buts! Keep that thought in mind and follow me, alright? Can you hold your breath?”

“It depends on why—Kíli, what do you want to do?” You were growing more and more suspicious but somehow with him by your side it was not anxiety which overwhelmed you, but rather excitement. He would never risk your life, that was for sure, so you had no real reasons to be afraid. Somewhere deep in your heart you knew that if he had to, he would risk his life for your safety without hesitation also.

Mahal, how could you not fall for him?

“You won’t regret it,” he assured you, now cheerful back again, as he knew that you would not turn away now.

“It doesn’t answer my question in the slightest.”

“Just trust me. Look, do you see this very ominous, dark hole under water, right there?” Kíli pointed a finger at the place where the pile of rocks was touching the lake’s surface and drowning deeper.

You nodded, not wholly convinced if you wanted to see it.

“We’ll have to dive in there, swim under the rock and then we’ll reach something absolutely fantastic! You’ve never seen anything like that before, I can assure you.”

His enthusiasm was undoubtedly contagious, because soon you found yourself wondering what could wait for you on the other side. Being a human, you were not overly interested in the undergrounds, small and dark spaces appearing as claustrophobic and not even as closely as stunning as the beauty which could be seen on the earth. However, you have spent enough time with Dwarves to learn that once you would get rid of the prejudices and expectations, you could find the greatest treasures and values in the darkest times and places.

And so, you sighed deeply and asked:

“Ladies first?”

***

Although you were wary of the time you were supposed to spend underwater, the distance was not even half as long as you thought. Holding your breath and swimming in the darkness while surrounded with nothing but the stones was not the most pleasant experience, you had to admit, but Kíli made sure that you always felt his presence nearby. He helped you to find the surface once you were on the other side and when you caught your breath and blinked, adjusting your sight to the dim light, you realized that you were no longer exposed to the moon—on the contrary, you were inside the cave with roof so high that you wondered if you were still by the same lake. Nevertheless, it was not the mystical passage to that hidden place, nor its size which got you awestruck but the source of the delicate, blue light.

It seemed as if the thousands, millions of tiny lanterns were hanging from the roof and the walls, wet stones reflecting the light and making the whole cave shine as if under a magical spell. Long branches and leaves were reaching down the ground, illuminated reminding you of a colourful jellyfishes, floating in the thin air instead of the water. Or, as you believed for a while, it was you who suddenly learned how to breathe underwater and observed this whole scenery of the world you have never experienced before.

Being to mesmerized by the view in front of you, you could not notice how Kíli’s undivided attention was focused completely on you, on discovering how your features changed when you realized where you were, on how the happiness and surprise changed the way you looked around, on how freely and completely you were yourself in that very moment. He could not even think about the beauty of the surroundings, not when he had you in front of him and the overwhelming love filling his heart.

“How did you know about this place?” you asked, genuinely curious and only then caught his gaze upon you.

“I was roaming.” He shrugged and approached you, the water as bright as the cave’s roof. “It made me think about you.”

“Do you often think about me then?”

“All the time.”

His confession was sincere and to prove that, he placed his hand at the side of your neck, caressing the line of the jaw with his thumb and hungrily eyeing your lips. He wanted to kiss you so badly, to hold you in his arms and never let you go, to stay in this magical place together, where nothing could disturb nor harm you. Instead, he simply leaned to you and rested his cheek at the crook of your neck, feeling how chill and wet your skin was against his.

“I love you,” Kíli whispered and the cave almost swallowed the soft sound of his voice. “You have no idea how much you mean to me, my dear.”


End file.
